First Steps to Investing in the Stock Market

I remember my first exposure to investing in the stock market like it was yesterday. I was only ten years old. My grandfather had given me ten whole shares of AT&T stock. The shares were in physical certificate form and all I knew was that the piece of paper was supposed to be worth money.

Over those years, I’ve made many mistakes, but thankfully I’ve also enjoyed many victories. You don’t have to be an expert at stock market analysis in order to be successful, but you do have to be willing and ready to take on risk.

While the potential of loss inherent to the stock market can cause many to avoid investing in it, it is a necessary part to growing one’s wealth. That said, investing in the stock market really only takes a few simple steps that nearly anyone can follow in order to have a relative level of success. If being in the stock market is something you want to do but aren’t certain where to start, this post is for you.

Determine How Much You Want to Put in the Stock Market

Unless you come from money, you’ll probably be starting from scratch and that’s ok. Many of us have to start small – myself included. Begin by determining how much you want to invest.

If you’re going the route of investing in mutual funds many will have some initial minimums you need in order to buy in. There are numerous ones available that have initial investments of as low as $250 or none at all, such as through Etrade.

If you’d rather invest in individual stocks, then going through an online brokeris going to be your best option. Many of these will also have minimums to get started, though some of them don’t. If you don’t have $1,000 to invest right now, set a goal for yourself to save up the money as you can start investing with $500 or less at a number of online brokers. When you reach your goal, your investment account will mean all the more to you because you had to work harder for it.

Just remember that, if you are contributing to your employer’s 401(k), you are technically already investing in the stock market. An individual portfolio will simply offer you more control than the pre-selected mutual funds of your 401(k) plan. This is, of course, is dependent on the amount of funds you have to invest, but can be a great way to add further diversification and greater growth potential.

For example, you may way to diversify into real estate or guarantee your family’s future financial security with life insurance. For the latter, like any other financial product or service, I’d recommend researching the best companies before purchasing a policy. If tragedy strikes, a term life insurance policy will provide significantly more funds for your family to live off of than a stock portfolio that has been growing for a few years.

Where Will You Invest the Money?

If you’re looking to invest in the stock market, there are many places that can help you get started. You can choose from one of the various online discount brokerages, or you can go more local and find a commissioned broker in your area. The downside to a commissioned broker is that they’re going to have higher fees and may have higher minimum requirements. The benefits of an online brokerage are lower fees and many more investment options.

Simply search for online discount brokerages on Google and you’ll come up with millions of different options to choose from. This can be understandably overwhelming, but take your time to find the one that fits your needs and get started.

I would stress though that if investing in the stock market is new to you then feel free to check out my learn to investpage as I have a selection of different posts I’ve written on how to get started investing. You can also check out my best online brokerages pageto find some of the better options to choose from.

What Will Your Portfolio Look Like?

This may be oversimplifying it, but given his solid wisdom I tend to listen when he talks about investing in stocks. The basic idea is to look around your house and your day to day life to see what products you use on a regular basis. Many of the companies that make those items have been around for decades and are solid companies.

The other idea to follow when it comes to what your portfolio should look like is that you want to invest with the stock market and not against it. You’re liking asking what that means. What this means is that you want to have a long-term view when it comes to investing.

Given that, a great approach to take is to invest with the stock market by investing in solid index funds. Put plainly, an index fund is a basket of stocks that follows a certain index like the Dow Jones or S&P 500. This approach will help you stay with the market as opposed to trying to time the market and end up losing more in the process.

Regardless of which approach you take, you need to determine what level of risk you are most comfortable with. You can invest in individual stocks, some mutual funds, all bonds or a combination of all the above.

When you’re just starting out investing in the stock market, or many times for that matter, a good mix of those various vehicles is probably your best option available. The problem can be knowing how to determine that mix. I use this free calculatoras it walks you through a few simple questions and, at the end, provides you with a portfolio allocation that would likely suit you best.

The other thing to consider is that you want to be careful not to have too many brokerage accounts as it can lead to not having a good grasp of everything you’re invested in or the fees you might be paying.

While I do have multiple brokerage accounts at different places, I manage the entire portfolio through Personal Capitalwhich allows you to watch all your investment and banking accounts in one place. This not only provides one location to go to, they also analyze if there are cheaper investment and banking alternatives for you. What I love even more about Personal Capital is that it’s completely free to use and provides a great way to stay on top of all your finances – not just your investments.

Investing in the Stock Market is Vital to Building Wealth

Fear is a common reason given for why people don’t invest in the stock market. I can certainly understand and appreciate that sentiment. Don’t allow that fear or the feeling that you don’t have enough to invest hold you back from investing in the stock market.

Time, in terms of appreciating your assets as well as putting you on an improved path for your financial future is best served by investing your money. If you plan to retire someday, then it’s vital that you begin going down that path sooner rather than later. By having a long term vision of your assets you’ll best set yourself up for overall financial success.

Investing in the stock market can be overwhelming for many. What was your first investing experience?

Additional resource: If you’re looking for somewhere to invest with little money, you can open a Motif Investing account for as little as $250. I personally use Motif as they offer a great way to get started as well as allowing for instant diversification, not to mention promotions when you open a new account with them.

I'm the founder of Frugal Rules, a Dad, husband and veteran of the financial services industry. I'm passionate about helping people learn from my mistakes so that they can enjoy the freedom that comes from living frugally. I'm also a freelance writer, and regularly contribute to U.S. News & World Report, Investopedia, Credit Karma and more. If you're wanting to learn how to monetize your blog, check out my blog coaching services to see how I can help you take your site to the next level.

57 Comments

I’m a big fan of value investing. Warren Buffett is my financial idol. It’s just very difficult to emulate the way he invests because it’s very difficult to jump in when everyone says get out. And to get out when everyone says to get in.

When I first started investing I was totally enamored with the idea of technical analysis, and the ability to make buy/sell decisions based on the numbers and charts alone. I quickly learned that this was not as easy as it looks however, and since then have been focused on Value Investing techniques as well. Yes, it can be difficult to get in when everyone else is getting out, but not so much if you know what you’re buying is worth more than you’re paying for it.

I must admit I have $0 in the stock market. I’m focused on paying off debt right now, and since I’m only 23, I’m ok with not having any retirement savings just yet. That, and investing in the stock market scares me because I don’t really know much about it. Thanks for the beginner tips!

We don’t have 401k’s in Canada- I assume they’re similar to out RRSP’s though (registered retirement savings)? I also don’t have any stock involvement, something I plan on educating myself on asap so can participate. We just found out we’re eligible to now contribute to hubby’s pension which is great- 2% salary matched 100% we just need to determine what type of investment plan we want to go with.

Yes – an RRSP is essentially the Canadian version of an American 401K. 23 years old is the perfect age to start contributing to one if you haven’t already, even if you only put a small amount of money each month into it. The advantage with an RRSP is that you don’t pay tax on that money when you put it in. That extra money you’re saving on tax really adds up over the long term.

My first investment was in a company that my mate worked for. He’d been given stock options as part of his employment and told me about them. This piqued my interest so I looked into how to buy shares and promptly bought some myself. I was lucky, they did very well and in the end paid for my wedding

I JUST bought individual stocks out of my fidelity account the other day-my balance from my old job had just been hanging out there. I’m REALLY starting to get into it, it’s exciting to check every day and see what is going on. I only invested in brands I use/enjoy, but hopefully I will have the opportunity to branch out soon.

I have put most of what I’ve invested in index funds with very little in individual stocks. Maybe when I have more time to research them,? I think you bring up a good point with determining how much to start with and work toward that goal. You’d never get started without a goal, even if it’s $25 at first.

The best place to start is just by throwing money into your 401k. Then, take some time to learn about/review your investment options with the 401k and pick one. See how it does and start trying to pick up more (learn more) each week.

Investing in what you know is really important. My first stock was a oil and gas start up. I saw the value considering I work for a major player in the industry. My next purchase was a local brewery that was gaining popularity fast. I made a great profit on both. Don’t get me wrong, I picked some real LOSERS too.

I just started investing a few months ago because I was working on paying off my debt. I will say that it is overwhelming, but once you take some time to learn it, it is not as bad. Thanks for the great steps John!

I have read a book on investment provided by a broker company and decided it was too complicated. I like the invest in what you know and have stuck to real estate and index funds for now. I have had a good eye for companies I liked before they were really famous and have seen their stocks really appreciate so maybe on the next call I will invest.

My portfolio is pretty aggressive. I don’t have the time to day trade. Therefore, I stick with a long-term approach to my investment stratedgy and invest in low-cost index fund & ETFs in different sectors.

I think when you start investing, you should just go with index funds. This is easy and many people can get started right away. Investing in what you know usually mean investing in your employer’s company and that’s not a good thing for most people in the long run.

That’s a great point about index funds. What I was referring to with investing in what you know was however about investing in brands you know. It’s a strategy espoused by Buffett and can be a pretty solid one in my opinion. Investing in your company is a whole different can of worms for a different day.

My mom told me to invest early on in my mid-twenties. Initially I ignored and said it was boring and that I didn’t have enough money because I just graduated. Eventually I came to my senses and started to invest in guaranteed investment certificates, which were low risk. Then I moved on to mutual funds in which the minimum contribution was $500.

It can be overwhelming Mackenzie, but I would encourage you to not let that hold you back. There’s a lot of free education available to get people started and that education can really breed confidence. Perhaps a post for me to do in the future. 😉

I had held a few index funds but recently sold them to hold the cash in my RRSP. When one is looking to permanently move to another country from Canada it presents a whole host of taxation consequences. So my job right now is to learn the rules so that when the time comes that I know exactly how I need to act with my investments to minimize the amount of taxes I’ll need to pay. Once I transfer my assets to the US I’ll be looking forward to getting back into the stock market!

Thanks for the feedback Joanna, I plan on it! I love investing and the Market so it’ll be a regular feature. That’s a great goal to have, I would be careful though to be cognizant of what they might charge.

Great topic. My first experience in investing was setting up a SEP IRA when my online business started doing fairly well back in 2004. A little scary dropping a huge chunk of change into it, but the tax savings quickly erased that fear 😉

While it feels safer to stay in cash, I think what many investors forget is inflation. Money sitting in a bank account earning nothing is actually losing purchasing power. You might as well spend it now! Over long periods only stocks and real estate have reliably beaten the pants off of inflation.

Great point Joe! I think a lot of people justify keeping cash in a bank account by saying they’re fearful or can’t lose money. However, with rates the way they are they really are losing that purchasing power thanks to inflation.

I think all it takes is to make money once investing and then look out , but it can also backfire in someone’s face so I want to make sure I know what I’m doing before I jump in. Nothing is for certain though but once I learn more I’ll start dabbling with stocks. Thanks for this post John. MR.CBB

For me, the biggest challenge to being in the stock market is not paying attention to it every day. When I first started investing, I would check my stocks every hour (with streaming quote services on my desktop). I would get too upset with the ticks down on my stocks and too excited with the ticks up. And when you are emotional, you make REALLY BAD investment decisions. I learned through the years to better manage the emotions and might only check my mutual fund positions about once a month.

The market is driven up and down each day by fear or greed or other various reasons that we, as small time investors, have no control over. This shouldn’t detract people from getting in it. As other’s have said, it is an incredible way to generate big time wealth.

Great points Brian! I could not agree more in terms of emotions and investing. The key is learning to be able to separate the two so you can make measured and rational decisions. That’s easier said than done though and when the market is 95% fear driven you’ll end up ahead of the game if you can keep a cool head.

Great advice on investing in what you know. It’s the simplest way to invest, and chances are high that you will pick a solid blue chip as a result. People can stop buying ipads at any moment, but they’ll still need the basics like toothpaste, electricity, and gas for their cars. How about some PG, SO, and XOM? You could probably do a lot worse than that.

My first stock purchase was RIMM back in late 2008. I followed a “tip” from my brother who was working as an engineer on the Storm II product. He thought for sure it was the next big thing that couldn’t fail. It’s fun to laugh about it (why didn’t I at least buy 50% AAPL!), but luckily I was able to break even and not lose any money. After holding for a year, I think I profited enough to buy a cheap steak dinner 😉

I think that exposure was all I needed to learn that investing in growth stocks was not in the cards for me.

First time visiting your blog. Loved this blog post. I totally agree that fear is a common reason given for why people don’t invest in the stock market. Fear also keeps a lot of people from getting out of bad investments. This is one reason why I follow the Buy & Hold approach to investing where I buy low cost, high quality index funds and keep buying them using the dollar-cost-averaging method to even out ups and downs.

I love investing. It’s easily one of the best things to become passionate about. I started by buying about $600 worth of common stocks. Fast forward a few years and I’ve learned a lot about how the market works, and have just a little bit more than $600 now ;).

Value investing has been my biggest success strategy, especially over the long term. I follow some of the strategy (with some minor deviations) in Joel Greenblatt’s book, “The little book that beats the market”. I also use technical analysis, more to help identify good points to get in or out of a position. I’ve been following that strategy for almost four years now and I’m happy with the result so far.

I welcome the fear and take baby steps with investing. I like the security of ETF’s and mutual funds, but nothing in the investing world is as exciting as striking on an individual stock. I tend to favor brands I use and respect. But I have chased a few high yielding stocks for the fun of it. Thanks fo the post.

I do as well. I think the key is to not let that fear hold you back in regards to investing. I like being able to buy a stock/option and getting a hefty return on it, but I think ETFs and Mutual Funds are good for many…especially those that lack time/investing knowledge. Buying the brands you know is a great angle to take…heck Buffett preaches it. Thanks for stopping by!

I remember the first time I invested in stocks too. I had a friend who referred me to a broker. I took $500 and wanted to invest in this high risk stock. He encouraged me to diversify or buy a fund or even buy a more conservative stock. Of course I didn’t and bought it anyway. It actually worked out well for me and I made a little money. It wasn’t long after that though that I learned my lesson, investing in a penny stock based on a recommendation of a relative who heard from a friend that….. I’m sure you’ve heard the story before. I lost a bunch before I finally sold out.

Investing in individual stocks isn’t for everyone…some prefer to give their money to a financial expert to invest. No matter what type of investor you are, the goal is to simply invest and grow your money. The sooner the better because your money will have more time to compound and grow. Many great bloggers out there to help you get your feet wet no matter which style you prefer.

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As a veteran of the financial services industry, I've seen a lack of basic investing knowledge destroy too many retirement accounts and financial futures. In Frugal Rules, I've created an online community where together, we gain the knowledge we need to invest confidently. Educate yourself with my honest reviews of online brokerages.

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